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BT leads on climate change
Monday June 23rd 2008. Posted: 13:29
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An event at BT Centre endorsed a call to action for the ITU leadership to form a climate change focus group
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A BT-hosted International Telecommunication Union (ITU) climate change symposium - held at BT Centre in London - has endorsed a call to action for the ITU leadership to form a climate change focus group.
The two-day event - a webcast of which is available to view on registration - examined the role of information communication technology (ICT) standards and climate change and outlined some of BT’s achievements as a pioneer in the field of actions to mitigate climate change. More than 140 participants from the global ICT industry - including opinion formers and influencers from developed and developing countries - saw BT chairman Mike Rake accept a Queen's Award for Enterprise, recognising the company’s efforts in the field of sustainable development during the opening session. The London event was the second of two ITU symposia - the first took place in Kyoto, Japan, in April when the ITU launched a new programme aimed at investigating the role ICT plays in climate change. A message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the ITU’s initiative and called on the ICT sector to apply international standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. BT Group chief technology officer Matt Bross said: “While we might be pleased with what has been achieved in terms of standards, we should by no means be satisfied.” He stressed that the industry and the ITU should be forward looking, anticipating market trends and the challenges they will pose for increased energy efficiency in ICT - and said the power to bring about the necessary behavioural and technical change was “in the hands of the people”. BT Group head of environment and climate change Donna Young talked about the cultural and behavioural changes needed to protect the changing world. In a session called Climate Change: ICTs to the Rescue?, she said: “Some technologies are here today and have been around for some time. However - even with clear commercial benefits - take-up is low. It is behavioural and cultural barriers that need to be worked on as critical elements to success.” Other BT participants included Chris Tuppen, BT director of sustainable development, who explained BT’s new climate stabilisation intensity target during a session on Corporate Responsibility: Towards a Climate Neutral ICT Sector; and BT Wholesale managing director of major programmes Bruce Stanford, who was the moderator for a session on adapting to climate change. Kevin Foster, head of standards for BT, said: “The symposium brought together key experts and influencers from around the globe and I’m delighted that the ITU has agreed to take additional firm action as a result of the innovation and thought leadership shown - especially by the BT speakers.”
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Last updated:
14:55